A key program aimed at helping individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities gain access to home care may be getting a refresh in 2026.
Officials at Georgia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities unveiled a series of proposals during a December board meeting aimed at restructuring the waiting list for a state-run Medicaid program that provides waivers to people with disabilities designed to keep them out of institutional settings. The waivers can be used to provide services like medical supplies, personal care assistants and emergency alert systems.
However, the proposals made to the board are just recommendations, and a timeline to move forward with the plan has not yet been set.
Georgia had over 7,800 people on a waiting list for waivers as of this past March, though the agency says not everyone who is on the list has an urgent need for services. Boosting state funding to provide services to more people has long been a perennial issue at the state Capitol, and there’s been a push in recent years to work toward ending the wait list entirely.
Members of an advisory council dedicated to addressing the issue say the first step to revamping the program will be to identify which applicants have the most urgent needs so their applications can be prioritized.